I am 27 years old. I am a community health nurse working in one of the CHPS compounds in the Bono Region. I just completed my BSc in Nursing this past October.

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I grew up in a health household. Both my mom and dad were in the health space. My mum was a nurse at Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital before she passed away. Growing up, I watched her care for people in our neighborhood whenever they came to her with their sickness. Everyone knew me as Auntie Nurse’s daughter. Maybe that is what ignited my love for caring for people. I do not know, I cannot tell. She took me everywhere with her, since I am the only girl and the last born of four boys. I even used to go on night shifts with her. I never once saw my mum fight or exchange words with anyone. My dad had a pharmacy shop in Sekondi, so I spent time with him after school sometimes too.

At my workplace, I am the youngest. Unmarried, with no kids, and now with a degree. I am as free as a bird. There are ten of us, all ladies. Every one of them is married with children. So when I was posted there, I decided I was just going to do my work and leave. No need poking my nose into people’s business. I worked diligently, with no issues. I had already started my degree before the posting came, and I did not want anyone to complain that because I was schooling, I was not doing the work I was being paid for.

Plus, I was not on study leave. So I stayed very focused on my job as a nurse.

Because of that, my In Charge likes me a lot. And I know that has started creating problems for me. I was not only doing my department duties. I was also helping in other departments because I wanted to learn so much. I was thinking, since they have kids, I could do the work to help relieve their burden. I had no intention of overriding or invading their spaces.

They started disliking me because every now and then, the In Charge kept praising me in front of them. To the point that one of them said, “One day a patient will die in your hands and you will be in trouble.” That day, the words were pronounced on me. I went to church. I prayed. And I revoked every evil word spoken against me in my line of duty.

What makes it even harder is how the community members behave when they see me at work or in the community. They are very loud with their praises. Loud enough for my colleagues to hear. I recently went for my annual leave, and when I came back, one of the staff asked me to talk to my In Charge.

Because even in my absence, she keeps mentioning my name. As if the clinic was shut down while I was away. And she said, “If someone has an evil eye, the person will target you.”

Is There A Man Out There Who Doesn’t Cheat?

Yesterday, I went to work and thankfully met my In Charge there. I asked her to stop mentioning or praising my name since it has started creating problems for me. And from next year onwards, I will stop doing most of the extra things I do at the workplace. I will stay in my lane. I will sit without working. Even if a patient comes and my colleagues are feeding their babies, I will tell the patient to sit and wait for them to finish and attend to them.

We will have our last meeting for the year next week. And I have decided to say this in front of everyone on that day.

—Nana

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